Problem: Jessica has 8 coconuts for every 4 watermelons. Write the ratio of coconuts to watermelons as a simplified fraction.
Answer: Ratios can be written in a few different ways that mean the same thing. You can express a ratio with a colon separating the two numbers. $8:4$ You can write it out as a phrase like this. $8 \text{ to } 4$ Or, you can express a ratio as a fraction. $\dfrac{8}{4}=2$ Therefore, $2$ is the ratio of coconuts to watermelons written as a simplified fraction.